Rs.21 million for the staging of Prima U-15 Inter District Tournament prioritised by SLC
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has pumped in Rs.21 million for the staging of the Prima Under-15 Inter District Tournament covering 400 schools. Rs.12 million of this has been at the district level and Rs.9 million at provincial level covering 12 provinces, according to Mr. K. Mathivanan, Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) directly overseeing the schools gamut. September 11. SLC is prioritizing the junior schools’ cricket in the long term plan of harnessing and nurturing the cream of junior cricket from island-wide to the national grid.
The tournament on a home and away basis will commence on September 20 with first round matches of one day’s duration. The final will be played over two days on October 6 and 7 at the R. Premadasa Stadium. A special feature will be the two teams wearing coloured dress in keeping with international norms. Handsome prize money awaits the winners and runners-up.
An estimated 250 players will be selected from the inter-district tournament which will conclude on September 11. SLC is prioritizing the junior schools’ cricket in the long term plan of harnessing and nurturing the cream of junior cricket from island-wide to the national grid. Mr. Mathivanan said that the team selections will be based on schools’ under-15 performances driven by the Sri Lanka Schools’ Cricket Association.” This annual event holds a special significance to him having been the first signatory to the sponsorship agreement with Prima in 2007.
The district coach input and the guidance of the junior national selectors in accordance with SLC policy making is a significant factor towards its success. The highly streamlined tournament selection process entails selection from district to provincial level. Several national cricketers have been unearthed from this concept.
By Srian Obeyesekere
-The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sri Lanka Cricket-
